


The Not-So-Calm Before The Storm

by Origingirl



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Lots of Hurt, M/M, Off-screen Relationship(s), but happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-02 04:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10209320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Origingirl/pseuds/Origingirl
Summary: Takes place sometime after the battle between Universe 7 and 9. Thoughts and feelings Beerus (as well as Supreme Kai) is experiencing, since we don't get to see much of a soft or "weak" side of him in the show.--As the fate of his universe (as well as his own life) turns to an ominous black, Beerus finds himself seeking companionship from an unsuspecting Kai. Will Supreme Kai be able to provide the God of Destruction with the solace he needs more than anything, or will he be too overcome with fear from the sheer presence of Beerus alone to even open his mouth?





	

**Author's Note:**

> The goal of this is to expand a little more on mainly Beerus' character. Call it an obsession, but I have this itch to take my metaphorical shovel and dig deep into Beerus' subconscious to uncover a bit more of who he truly is based on how we've seen him act already (in canon, per say). Characters like this intrigue me to the greatest levels. Their stoic, godly, all-powerful outward appearance hasn't got me fooled in the slightest. SURELY even characters like Beerus HAVE to experience more complicated emotions other than the basic happy, fearful, annoyed, and... well, whatever else is the norm for characters like Beerus.

He never visited much, but when he did, he’d never openly expressed such concern like he was doing now.

“I know. Goku can at times be relentlessly stubborn, but he’s a capable warrior as I’m sure you’re aware.” Supreme Kai said, mustering up as much of a consoling tone as he could in the Destroyer God's presence. “Besides, Zen-oh-sama must have acquired some feeling of favoritism towards him if he’d willingly accept a suggestion such as this. We must remain calm.”

Beerus lightly growled out of nervousness before plopping back on the soft grass of the Kai’s world. Both Gods were currently sitting under a large tree outside the Kai’s main temple grounds enjoying some tea and dumplings, or as close as they could come to being able to enjoy a peaceful moment with all at stake as of late.

The God of Destruction closed his eyes briefly, feeling the small but steady current of wind brush against his fur. As tasty as the dumplings are and as soothing as the tea is, Beerus couldn’t bring himself to relax completely. Not now.

Supreme Kai felt the tension radiating off of his counterpart like a strong heat wave. He couldn’t sense any other vibes than frustration, worry, and perhaps even the slightest bit of fear - all of which vibrated within his entire form, leaving him weary and irked. Though Beerus is indeed a force to be reckoned with, the Kai didn’t like seeing him in such a distraught state of mind and body, or any being in any type of pain for that matter. 

He hesitated only for a moment before resting a hand on his counterparts shoulder. Beerus responded by jerking up out of reflex, swatting at the unexpected touch. The sudden reaction caused Supreme Kai to stumble backward, bracing his weight on his hands. Beerus’ ragged breathing, which resulted from the jostling, subsided. He glanced at the Kai, who now wore a slightly panicked expression and sighed, bringing a hand up to rub at his own tired features.

“Sorry.” He said, averting his gaze out of slight guilt. Though they were polar opposites, Beerus would never intentionally inflict any serious sort of bodily harm to Supreme Kai. Not only would he get the scolding of a century from Whis, but then the universe itself would get thrown off balance was it’s Kai ever to be put in such a distraught bodily state.

Silence washed over the two Gods as they sat under the tree, neither one of them knowing where to take the situation from here. _If moments between the two weren’t awkward enough on their own… ___

Supreme Kai was about to stand and return back to his temple to retrieve another pot of tea to avoid the suspending silence any further when he noticed it. It was very faint and any mortal’s eyes would have missed it, but seeing how the two were both deities it was much easier to recognize and read body language. The shiver that ran from head to toe on Beerus’ form was mild in nature, but Supreme Kai caught it and could tell exactly what that kind of shiver was implying.

The most common notions of aura included anxiety, fear, paranoia, and timidness. However, taking into account that they were about to face the martial arts tournament that would decide the fate of their universe living or dying, Supreme Kai decided that it was indeed internalized fear that caused the shiver, which could also explain the sudden violent reaction. 

He wasn’t surprised at all. 

Even the most ruthless of Gods - be it by reputation alone or the actuality of the person themselves - were capable of experiencing fear to a degree.

He’d never openly admit it to the Kai, this much was obvious. If Supreme Kai had any say in it, he’d wager that Goku and Beerus were at equal levels of stubbornness in their personalities if not equal in any other aspects. A sad smile graced his features. Supreme Kai knew that it couldn’t be easy for someone like Beerus to open up in any way shape or form, and if he did it would be behind closed doors where no one could hear or see his moments of weakness. This wall of ice, however, seemed to be melting with each passing moment that the tournament inched closer and closer, resulting in Beerus acting… well, un-Beerus-like to say the least. Now is a perfect example. He’d never bothered with visiting Supreme Kai in the past except when it was mandatory, unlike the Kai’s and Destroyer Gods of other universes who took some amount of delight in conversing with their other half. It just… wasn’t like that for them. Ever. The fact that Beerus has been making constant appearances on his world as the date of the competition draws near is solid evidence of how much Beerus requires some form of consolation as of now. 

Supreme Kai didn’t judge or blame him for it at all.

It was… frightening. The possibility of no longer existing, of no longer being able to _live._ It was scary to think about even for a God. Even if Beerus is the God of _Destruction_ , even he possesses some amount of appreciation for life.

At least Supreme Kai liked to think he did. Why else would he be acting so out of character other than out of fear for his own life (as well as the lives of a select few of others, the Kai hoped) coming to an end all because of losing to a match his supposed archrival suggested to Zen-oh-sama in the first place? 

He felt it this time more so than saw it - vibrating lowly against his own aura. That same worried shiver. At this moment Supreme Kai knew that Beerus was not in a stabilized state - in mind body or soul whatsoever. The question isn’t how this could affect him so much, but rather why is it affecting him so _deeply_. Supreme Kai was afraid - he’d admit as much, but he didn’t feel… unstable as a result, and that guttural feeling of instability was the exact feeling that the Kai was receiving from his counterpart right now. He felt the need to soothe any discomfort the other may be experiencing, but he knew for a fact that any type of advance made on his part would only fuel Beerus’ violent reactions and do nothing to help calm his mind.

Supreme Kai thought for a moment before turning to look at Beerus’ now slightly trembling form.

...oh gosh. It must be bad if Beerus was openly showcasing how vulnerable he felt.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t frightened by the possible outcome of our warriors losing the tournament.”

Beerus glanced at him from over his shoulder.

Seeing how he made no move to give a verbal response, Supreme Kai continued to speak in a manner that he hope would ease his counterparts anxious instability.

“Though Goku is without a doubt the strongest warrior our universe has to offer with friends and allies of slightly lesser but still impressive strengths, the statistical factor of probability still remains. There is just as much of a chance of them losing as there is them coming out victorious.”

“Hmph.” Beerus huffed. “We’ll win, without a doubt.”

“Yes, I’d like to hope so as well, but-”

 ** _”We. Will. Win.”_** Beerus said, his voice edging on a growl. He was clearly in no mood to discuss ‘what if’s’, solely set on telling himself an equally possible and impossible outcome of the battle to come. 

Supreme Kai was rendered silent by his counterparts words, sensing anger more than anything as of now.

Beerus turned his gaze away from the Kai once more, intent on brooding over the dark, daunting thoughts swarming in his mind. They _had_ to win. If for no other reason to smack the sense back into his archrival for suggesting something like this in the first place to Zen-oh-sama without even thinking of the consequences. Irresponsible, disrespectful, oblivious little nuisance. Is he _trying_ to get them all killed?

Beerus drew his legs up to rest his chin atop his knee caps, crouching slightly. He’d be lying to himself if he said a small part of him _didn’t_ want to disappear from all this right now. Never in the history of existence was there commotion such as this with the king of the multiverse, and now…

“We’ll win.” Beerus uttered, more so to himself than to his counterpart. He had to keep telling that to himself no matter what odds faced the situation. If not, he’d surely fall victim to the paranoia and fear threatening to consume him completely. He felt cold, small, vulnerable, and he hated himself for allowing himself to experience these thoughts and emotions in the first place. Cold, small, vulnerable, and **_weak._** This situation was mostly out of his control and that thought didn’t help his state of mind whatsoever. He curled in on himself a bit more, his wall of steel ice melting and cracking against the force of all these somber, fearful thoughts. He felt himself slowly slipping closer to the edge of what control he had left over himself and the predicament at hand, yet in a way he didn’t care. He was powerless against Zen-oh-sama, powerless to stop this tournament from taking place, powerless… **_he was powerless._**

“Beerus?”

The Kai’s voice echoed through his mind but barely made a sound over all the ugly voices telling him horrid things and making him feel horrible on the inside. His name was said a second time, which he also ignored. What was the point?

“Beerus, please. I can practically feel how much you’re hurting.”

“Shut up.” The Destroyer God muttered, slightly irritated at his counterpart’s probing. He felt nasty enough on his own. Why couldn't the Kai let him wallow in peace?

“I dare not make assumptions, but I _can_ feel other’s aura’s and your’s is emanating nothing but disfiguration and angst. I know. I hurt _with_ you.”

“Shut. Up.” Beerus said, this time with more of a harsh tone to his voice. He’d not believe for a moment that the Kai was feeling even a smidge of what he felt towards their predicament. How could he? They’re opposites.

“While there is a certain amount of uncertainty, the odds are in our favor with the kind of talent we have to bring to the battle. We must keep our heads up. If we don’t then there’s no way we’ll-”

 ** _“I said SHUT UP!_** Beerus snapped, rising abruptly from his clouded state, a faint but bright rush of ki silhouetting his form in a deep purple glow. His features were scrunched in a snarl that would make any mortal cower and beg for their life. His fists were clenched with all the tension still present from before, only this time displaying itself in the form of rage rather than anxious and uncertain paranoia. His eyes glowed with a tempered mania that almost made Supreme Kai teleport himself to somewhere - anywhere - away from the current threat posed to him… almost.

Supreme Kai locked his gaze with that of his furious counterpart. Would it have been anyone else, he’d have considered this threatening, but all he saw in front of him was a lifeform afraid for its future and continued survival - a continuous battle between fight or flight taking place out of loss of control and the slight bruising of ego and wounding of what little pride the God of Destruction allowed himself out of caution.

How sad.

Supreme Kai got to his feet as well and with a newfound sense of boldness approached the tangled up mess of thoughts and feelings and energy that was Beerus. He simply stood in front of him, eyes not wavering in the slightest, gaze not challenging in any way shape or form. They stood like statues as the wind swirled around Beerus’ form, disrupting the grass and leaves surrounding them both. It seemed like an eternity before the Kai built up enough confidence to make another move, bringing his hands up slowly to rest on his counterparts shoulders. He made it so the touch wasn’t complaisant, yet at the same time provided what he hoped was some sense of comfort. Beerus’ expression only darkened, accompanied by a low growl. His glowing purple energy field seemed to darken in color just as much as it did grow in size. Supreme Kai stood his ground thought all of it, accepting each small poisonous jolt of negative energy that spat out at him with not so much as a whimper escaping past his lips. Their gaze had yet to falter and somewhere in his mind, Beerus was surprised that Supreme Kai had such determination in him to keep this going for so long. He was sure he’d step back and cower the moment he’d snapped at him. 

Perhaps he didn’t know his counterpart as much as he ought to.

Knowing from the get-go how stubborn Beerus was in nature and seeing no signs of him backing down from their stand off anytime soon, Supreme Kai took it upon himself to make one last move - one that he sincerely hoped would calm the brooding God of Destruction. With a sigh laced with sadness, he stepped forward slowly and moved his hands past his counterparts shoulders and crossed them to wind around the back of Beerus’ neck, all the while stepping closer until Supreme Kai felt their torsos bump against one another and was able to rest his head where Beerus’ upper chest met his neck, trapping them in a half-full embrace. It hurt no doubt, the energy spasms from Beerus’ field repeatedly jabbing him in the stomach, legs, and chest, but he still did not waver, determined to calm his counterpart and have him realize that all would work out if they’d remained focused and optimistic. They resume their motionless stance, two forces created equal in their own rights to create and destroy standing and now partially intertwined.

“How dare you say you know when you know next to nothing about me.”

The words stung just as much as the painful jabs of the energy field, but they were, in fact true.

“You’re right. I apologize.”

“Ha.” Beerus forced a laugh, even if this moment was far from humorous or amusing. It’s either laughing or crying after all, and he’d rather drop dead than shed a tear in front of another living soul. With some hesitance, Beerus awkwardly returned the embrace. “S’pose it goes both ways, though.”

Supreme Kai smiled internally, knowing that that was as close to an apology he’d receive from his counterpart right now. “Yes. We really must find a way to remedy that.”

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“Why would I be afraid of you?”

Beerus chuckled. “I thought that much would be obvious.”

“Well, yes. You’re very powerful and intimidating, but… a part of me knows, or at least hopes that you wouldn’t destroy me.”

“So you are afraid.”

“A bit, I guess.” Supreme kai uttered softly, not wanting to admit his fear towards the one being able to balance him in all aspects. His hold on his counterpart tightened slightly. “Can you blame me?”

“No.” Beerus said, his own grasp on the Kai becoming less awkward and beginning to feel almost natural to a point. _“What a mess.”_ He sighed, tilting his head up to look at the sky. Beerus felt himself strangely calming down from the enraged state he was in only moments ago. Heh. Maybe that human saying “all you need is a hug to feel better” isn’t completely misleading after all.

Supreme Kai emitted a small laugh of his own. “Yes. What a mess.” He agreed, relaxing more himself into their now shared embrace. For some reason or other, this didn’t feel as awkward as he’d imagined it would. If anything, unpleasant wouldn’t be how he’d describe this at all. Far from it. He felt his counterpart shift downwards a bit to achieve the likes of a more proper hold on his smaller form. Supreme Kai felt more than heard the deep sigh against the side of his face, throwing him off a bit. He’d never expect Beerus to calm down so quickly but wasn’t complaining either. He felt a sense of accomplishment knowing he was able to succeed in the goal of bringing his counterpart back to some form of reality, breaking him free of the daunting state of thoughts and energy he’d plunged himself into.

The dark purple flairs of negative energy dimmed and returned to their natural lighter purple hue before subsiding completely. Once that happened, Beerus felt content to rest more of his weight on his smaller counterpart. Supreme Kai didn’t know what to say at this point in time, but luckily Beerus did.

“You were right about one thing.” He said, tightening his hold the other a smidge more, enjoying the warmth their hug provided. 

Supreme Kai accepted the tighter hold without any objections, yet at the same time was curious to what Beerus’ statement was implying. “What would that be?”

 

Before choosing to respond, Beerus took complete hold of his small counterpart and fell backward under the shady tree, arranging himself into a comfortable position with one hand behind his head and the other resting on the small of the Kai’s back. Startled by the sudden fall, Supreme Kai was still grasping at the others shoulders after he’d situated himself on the soft grassy ground. Once the shock factor diminished, Supreme Kai loosened his grip on Beerus’ shoulders considerably and simply lied there, unwilling to move on account of enjoying the comfortable resting position they’d both found themselves in. Beerus emitted a small yawn then proceeded to entertain the Kai’s inquiry.

“That tea you brewed undoubtedly has a fine taste to it. I might just have to insist on taking some back home with me.”

Supreme Kai laughed wholeheartedly at that remark, glad that their moment of grief and tension was over with and that Beerus was in a better state of mind. “Take as much as you like.”

Beerus huffed, absentmindedly bringing a hand up to thread the tips of his claws through the large tuff of the Kai’s white, fluffy hair. He closed his eyes, taking delight in the cool breeze that drifted across the fur on the tips of his ears and the relaxed embrace Supreme Kai and he were sharing. 

Relaxed.

That was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a while thanks to a certain archrival of his. He hoped Whis didn’t need him for anything in the next few hours or so (maybe even days), because Beerus had no intention of facing the reality of their situation any sooner than he had too. That and his counterparts small form provided a soothing comfort that he felt he never wanted to leave, and never knew he never wanted to leave until he’d found and experienced it. Soon enough he felt his consciousness slipping from him, his body registering the sudden and immense need for a nap. Beerus graciously complied, finding that there’s no place in the universe he’d rather be right now.

Perhaps he should pay his counterpart a visit more often.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first time having a go at a story like this (you know... other than good ol' smut). I've recently made the decision to take enough classes in college to where I can transfer with a creative writing degree in addition to my illustration degree, so any feedback would help aid my style and writing process tremendously. Thank you all for reading!  
> (I may make a sequel idk... its hard when the actual episodes themselves are still being written and animated, lol)


End file.
